Just a quick blog post to let you all know that Andrea Tate of the fabulous Crave Photography is hosting the most amazing giveaway for photographers! Though I shoot San Francisco Bay Area newborns pretty exclusively, I LOVE her work and know I’d gain SO much by attending a workshop with her. Plus there are tons of other fabulous prizes. Oh baby, this photographer needs this!
Here’s a link – check her work out. She’s a true inspiration!
I’ve had a few people asking if I’d do a tutorial video on how I edit a newborn image from start to finish. I’d be happy to do that! I’ve recorded my basic approach – the truth is I’ve created my own actions to do many of the steps seen here to save me on time but what you’ll be seeing is the breakdown of the steps I typically follow. This particular newborn was shot in a natural light setting with a large sliding glass door to camera right. One of the keys to a good image is good exposure straight out of the camera (SOOC). The image seen in the video has had no editing done to it other than setting the white balance using a reference image I took on my gray card during the shoot. The white balance setting was done in Lightroom prior to me opening this file in Photoshop.
If you have any questions about what you’ve seen here, please feel free to ask them in the comments section or send me an email to jenne@jdunhamphotography.com. You can also visit my Facebook page and post your questions there.
I hope you find this helpful! Remember, there is no one way to edit a file and I’m not professing to know the RIGHT way. I’m simply showing you my typical editing workflow for a newborn session. For the most part, the total editing time per file is probably not more than 5 minutes as long as I didn’t run into some crazy lighting situation, particularly bad skin, or am merging photos together for a composite image (perhaps that would be another good tutorial).
Click the image below to launch the video – thank you!
xoxo -Jenne
I had one request this Mother’s Day – that my children let me take them out for some portraits with ME! We headed to a beautiful spot in Sonoma and had a blast! Like many photographers (and probably moms in general), I all too often am the one behind the camera and end up not capturing the fact that I’m also a very real part of my children’s lives. I’d like to say that my kids were tripping over themselves to pose for me but they’re pretty done with being in front of the camera. I begged and pleaded to have just this one day and in the end, they gave me what I so desperately wanted – and needed! So here I am, world, with my four beautiful kiddos in gorgeous Sonoma, California! I really feel so lucky to live in the area I do. It’s just so beautiful out here!
And this is a little more like what we’re really like:
My son, Finn (6) and I:
Me and Finn’s twin brother, Roan:
Here I am with my eldest daughter, Caitlin (11). She really, really isn’t interested in having her photo taken, so photos of her are typically laughing and without eye contact (or a death stare into the camera, but I’ll spare you those!).
And last, me and my 8 year old daughter, Ali (who does great in front of the camera).
And a few more from the day…
Our beautiful creek location:
We weren’t exactly prepared for them to play in the water, but why not?!
That’s all for now – hoping all of you moms had a fabulous Mother’s Day too!
xoxo -Jenne
Welcome back – I’ve taken a long break from blogging but I promise you I’ve been quite busy! I find my newborns come in waves. March and April were nuts, May is a bit slow and June is going to be crazy busy!
This newborn session was quite special for me, as I photographed his big sister when I was just beginning my journey into the land of newborn photography about 2 years ago. I think she might have been my third newborn ever! Here’s an image of her and her daddy from way back then…
Now we have sweet baby Abram – pure perfection like big sis! This little guy did not make a peep for me. He truly was the easiest newborn I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing!
He’s so stinkin’ cute! Love his lashes and lips!
I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure he’s grinning for us here!
Abram models a beautiful knit hat by my very talented friend, Amanda, of After the Bump.
He slept SO well that I decided to break my sling out to see if I could get a shot of him in it. Newborns need to be deeply asleep to do this pose safely, and please make no mistake, he was supported by both mom AND dad at all times and lifted only inches off of my oversized beanbag. Ah, the wonders of Photoshop! If you’d like to see the before and after, please take a look at my Facebook page where I posted the original image.
One more on the bean bag, then we move to snuggles with mom and dad! How cute is he in this little visor!?!?!
Coming full circle, we have the newest addition in his father’s arms, just as his sister was previously.
And because there were so many of these two together that I loved, I’ll share a couple more…
A classic, but timeless pose…
There’s something so vulnerable about this next one – perhaps it’s the way that he’s just sinking into his daddy. I don’t know quite what it is that makes this image so precious to me, but I’m very fond of this moment.
And what post would be complete without a photo with his mama? Especially not one so close to Mother’s Day! Her love is so plain to see!
Many thanks to baby Abram’s family for allowing me into your home to capture this most precious time in your lives. I hope I’ve given you memories that you’ll cherish a lifetime!
xoxo -Jenne
I live in this really cool patch of Sonoma County where suburbs meet historic Victorian (actual Victorian) homes with a quaint downtown, all surrounded by farmland, hiking, hills, the ocean just a stones throw away and easy access to the “big city” of San Francisco. I love it here. Really, really love it. A short walk from my home is this amazingly cool dog park. It’s acres of hilly land in which the dogs have the freedom to be off leash and romp around with each other, the way dogs should. I try to take my dogs, Echo (my very white, yellow lab) and Cooper (my stunningly gorgeous mutt) on a daily basis. These past few days have been delightfully warm, and in true Petaluma style, the evening brings the welcome breeze from our river that winds through towns and the hills that surround us. Sunset seemed like such a perfect time to go up with the kids. Heck, I figured I’d even bring my camera and see what I could capture. I ended up shooting the majority at the absolute limits of what my classic Canon 5D can handle – an ISO of 1600. That’s okay though. Grain can be good. Embrace the grain. Here are some favorites from this evening, in my effort to capture some of my own family’s moments, as well as yours. Enjoy – and I’d love to hear your feedback!
Just arrived – Cooper makes a mad dash across the park to greet another dog in the distance.
Cooper and Echo reluctantly pose for me so I can try to get a photo of the two of them together as the sun (very rapidly) sets behind them.
My eldest daughter got new shoes today. She was very excited about them an actually insisted I take these photos to document their “epic-ness” forever. That’s right, I said it. Epic.
My dear daughter, Caitlin – eleven years old yet still so, so young. I love her.
The sun has set but the hunt for ladybugs is on. My eight year old daughter, Ali, is the master hunter. Don’t worry. She set these guys free later.
This particular dog park is situated right beside a spectacular bird sanctuary wetlands area called Shollenberger Park in Petaluma. It is not uncommon (more like impossible not to) to spot birds in the area. Here I see a Red Winged Blackbird hanging out in the reeds. I only have my 50mm lens on me so I can’t get too close, but I thought the shot was worth taking.
I capture this image of Ali walking and still searching for the elusive ladybug.
The sun has now officially set and it is dark. Ali can’t help but pose in the grasses for me. She’s the kind of kid every photographer dreams of – the kind who LIKES to be in front of the camera! This moment I caught was actually unscripted – the kind I like best!
And now I’m pretty much begging the kids to let us go home, but they have one last shot in mind:
Isn’t it cool how dark blue the sky looks after dark?
And that’s it for this edition of Mine on Monday. I promise to get a blog post or two up with some recent newborns this week. I’ve been a busy girl and have much to share with you. Here’s to another great week!
xoxo -Jen
Hi everyone! I’m back with a long overdue Mine on Monday blog post! In the last couple of weeks I’ve photographed a good bunch of beautiful newborn babies and look forward to sharing those images with you soon. The workshop I attended definitely pushed my skills to the next level and I couldn’t be happier. Everything is coming together so nicely! I can’t wait to photograph each of these San Francisco Bay Area newborns I’ve got lined up throughout the summer. It’s looking like June is THE month to be born this year!
Yesterday my family took our annual trek to Guinda where one of my dearest friend’s mother lives on one of the most stunning properties I’ve ever had the privilege to visit. It’s at this annual event that I get to see my childhood friend (who now resides with her husband and son in the Pacific Northwest) and my children get to really be kids – riding bikes, playing basketball (or as my son Finn calls it, “scoring hoops”), hunting for Easter eggs, playing with friends they only see once a year and just generally having a fantastic time.
A very rare and impromptu (note the lack of pleasing wardrobe choices and clean faces) family portrait (snapped for me by Justin Marx of Justin Marx Photography – he does amazing landscape work).
Here are some other images from our day…
Newborn goats welcomed us to the ranch! Look – they even posed for me!
On to the hunt…
No egg can escape from Ali!
Finn shows off his eggs:
Roan does too!
Finn, Caitlin, Ali and Roan with their eggs.
The Easter loot:
For some reason, Roan closes one eye while bouncing his balloon. I thought it was pretty funny!
Finn inflates his balloon.
My sweet little girl, Ali:
And “scoring hoops” with Daddy is Finn:
Thanks for looking! I’m on my way to Disneyland but I’ll be back next week with more newborn images to share with you all!
xoxo -Jenne
I’ve been so fortunate to be busy lately, however the one draw back to lots of newborn photo sessions is all the editing that takes place afterwards. Though I actually do enjoy my time spent in Photoshop, it can get monotonous. Sometimes I just need a little break to put together something fun, just because. Tonight I decided that I’d build a little storyboard of macro images from one of my more recent sessions.
Macro images might not be something the parents even thought about before or during their new baby’s photo session, however as a newborn photographer and parent, I know these moments are gone in the blink of an eye. I love when I’m able to capture these very tiny details – from sticky newborn eyelashes to flaky feet to fuzzy ears. I love it all and I hope the parents I work for will treasure these images too!
This past week I had the incredible experience of attending a one-on-one workshop with the amazing Keri Meyers of Keri Meyers Photography of the Seattle, WA area. If you’re a fellow newborn photographer you’ve no doubt seen her work. I was so excited to meet her so I could push myself to that next level. The workshop did not disappoint! I’m excited to bring these new skills back home to the San Francisco North Bay Area. Here’s a peek at some of my favorite images from the first day of the workshop.
Our first baby was Nicholas, a sweet 12 day old boy. I was amazed that he didn’t make a peep the entire time!
I love these little lips!
I just adore those sweet wrinkles that newborns get along their back – so precious!
And finally…
But that’s not all! After photographing Nicholas, baby Anya – at just 6 days old – was brought in for us to play with! Not only do I adore her name (one of my twin boys would likely have been an Anya had either of them come out a girl!) but she was the most petite, pretty, feminine little thing! She also slept peacefully throughout the session – gotta love that!
She even modeled one of my Moon Valley Design headbands!
Her mama brought in this headband. It’s always nice to include a personal touch like this.
Here she is showing off another headband by Moon Valley Design.
And finally, she ended her session with a little smirk on her face. I wonder what she was dreaming about!
That’s all for day one of my workshop. Check back soon for more images from day two. That little beauty has the most fantastic head of newborn hair I think you’ll ever see! A special thank you to Keri Meyers for taking the time to share with me her talent, knowledge and newborn clients!
Is it another Monday already? This week I’m off in the beautiful Pacific Northwest taking a newborn workshop with one of my favorite newborn photographers! More on that later. Here’s a photo of my twin boys enjoying an early birthday gift my husband and I scored from them (used but in great condition) from a friend! They are LOVING it!
When I get back in to the Bay Area I’ll have loads of newborn photos to share with you all! Can’t wait!
p.s. I miss my kids!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love my job! I get to do something that brings me and others so much joy and in the process I meet some really wonderful people. Lucy came to me at just 7 days old. What a little doll with such a gorgeous head of hair she is! Her parents were so sweet to let me have her model some headbands from my new newborn headband line for photographers called Moon Valley Design.
Here she is showing off my Bijoux newborn headband:
I adore her little wrinkles, soft hair and petite, feminine features!
I can’t help but wonder what she must be dreaming about. I swear I see the faintest smile on her face here!
One more, modeling the very limited edition Charlotte newborn headband made of vintage lace trim.
A couple of days later, her parents agreed to meet up with me outside to try something new. Something I’d like to offer to my clients more in the future are outdoor newborn images (weather permitting). One of the great things about living in the San Francisco North Bay Area is that Marin, Sonoma, and Napa Counties provide beautiful country backdrops almost year round! Take this for instance – while other parts of the country were hammered with snow, we had a lovely mid-70′s day of sunshine!
And because Spring is practically upon us, I thought a little bunny was in order!
Hope you’re having wonderful weather too!
Until next time,
xoxo – Jenne
Jenne has been a portrait enthusiast since childhood and has brought that love of capturing the beauty and individuality of people into her professional life as a custom portrait photographer. As a mom of four, she knows how to work with babies and children, putting them at ease, and truly enjoys working with the family to create unforgettable works of art. Newborn photography is her specialty – sessions will take place in the comfort of your own home and will be a fun and easy experience. She routinely travels to cities such as San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Petaluma, Santa Rosa and other cities in Marin, Santa Rosa, Napa and San Francisco counties.
